THE number of Turks seeking asylum in Germany has more than quadrupled after Angela Merkel invited even MORE refugees to the European Union (EU).

Applications have risen from 350 a month to 485 every WEEK in the months after the failed military coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Stephan Mayer, a senior member of the CSU sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, criticised German foreign ministry officials who invited persecuted political opponents Mr Erdogan to seek asylum in Germany.

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We cannot solve Turkey's problems by inviting all critical citizens of Turkey to apply for asylum

Stephan Mayer

Mr Mayer said: “We must expect that the number of Turks who are seeking political asylum in Germany will continue to rise but we cannot solve Turkey's problems by inviting all critical citizens of Turkey to apply for asylum.

"That's exactly what Erdogan wants: that the opposition disappears."

Thousands of suspected plotters were arrested in the wake of the failed coup and tens of thousands were fired from senior positions in the army, security services, administration and judiciary.

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Political graffiti in a mainly Turkish area of Berlin

Figures from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bamf) showed 4,437 Turkish citizens filed applications between January and October compared wth 1,767 in the whole all of 2015.

The first six months of the year saw around 350 Turkish asylum-seekers registered each month but that number rose to around 485 per week in the months after a failed military uprising against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Relations between Germany and Turkey have become strained over a series of issues, including Berlin's criticism of mass arrests in Turkey and Ankara's treatment of the media and claims by Turkey that Germany is a safe haven for the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

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Angela Merkel and Recep Tayipp Erdogan

A look back on the shocking Turkish military coup that left 294 dead

Wed, July 27, 2016

The violent military coup to overthrow Turkey's President Erdogan has 'failed' leaving at least 104 dead and more than 1,500 wounded

A police officer talks with the soldiers involved in the coup attempt after they surrendered

German officials deny the Turkish accusations and say they have been working for years to prevent attacks by members of the banned group.

There are also underlying tensions surrounding Ankara's attempts to get membership of the European Union.

The huge increase in asylum applications from Turkey only adds to Germany’s migrant crisis which has seen more than 1.2 million people enter the country over the last two years sparking a backlash by residents and causing severe political headaches for Chancellor Angela Merkel and her leadership team.